Questions regarding prayers
Mu' meneen Brothers
and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our
brothers/sisters has asked this question:
Dear Burhan.
Salaam Aleikum.
I have a few questions
if you could answer them.
1. Have you ever
thought of publishing your question and answers in a book form? As you will
appreciate, not everybody has access to a computer and a printed form of Q
& A would really enable more people to become aware of the Deen of Islam.
This is only a
suggestion and you are best suited to decide whether this is possible or not.
2. Can you tell me
why the so called Sunnis pray only two rakats during Friday Zohor prayers?
3. Can one pray
when wearing a tie around his neck?
4. What is the
right way to go into the sujud when praying? I have been told that the palms of
the hand must touch the floor first before the knees. This is also how one
determines which animals are halal to eat as only those animals who when
sitting bend their front legs first and then fold their hind legs. This is
the correct way to perform the sujud when praying. When arising from the sujud,
one must lift the knees first and then the palms. Please clarify this.
5. What is the
significance of raising ones finger when saying the Kalemat tu Shada and is
this also to be done when praying?
Wasalaam. Your
brother in Islam.
(There may be some
grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not
change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our
readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no
person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant
and the seal of His Messengers.
Your question. Have
you ever thought of publishing your question and answers in a book form? As you will appreciate, not everybody has
access to a computer and a printed form of Q & A would really enable more
people to become aware of the Deen of Islam.
This is only a
suggestion and you are best suited to decide whether this is possible or not.
Beloved
brother in Islam, we are indeed honored
with your suggestion that our humble efforts would be worthy of being published
in a book form. Our only intention is
that this clear guidance of Truth reach as many people as possible, and printing our Q&A’s in a book-form is
indeed a valuable suggestion. There
are indeed millions of books of Islamic literature in print form, which are written by eminent and worthy
scholars and brothers. Our intention
is to serve in the Cause of Allah, and
make available to our brothers and sisters who could not spare the time to
search for the answers to their questions and doubts in books, but had access to the internet and wanted to
clarify or ask questions in this deen of Truth.
May Allah Subhanah reward you
with the best in the life of this world and the Hereafter for your valuable
suggestion, and we will Insha Allah strive
and seek to print our Q&A’s in a book form for the benefit our brothers and
sisters who do not have internet access.
Your question. Can
you tell me why the so called Sunnis pray only two rakats during Friday Zohor
prayers?
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 62 Surah Jumuaa verse 9: O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on
Friday (the Day of Assembly) hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic): that is best for you if ye but knew!
The
Messenger of Allah (saws) implemented the above command of Allah Subhanah by
delivering a sermon or ‘khutba’ before the noon prayer on Friday, and then praying the Jumaa prayers with two
rakahs instead of the four rakah ‘dhuhr’ prayers of normal days. The same Sunnah was followed by the
Rightly Guided Khalifahs, the noble
companions, and the noble members of
his (saws) household. The same method
of praying the Jumuaa prayer with two rakahs is followed by the believers upto
this day and until the end of time,
Insha Allah.
Your question. Can
one pray when wearing a tie around his neck?
There
is no harm if one is wearing a tie and he offers his prayers in those
clothing. The Messenger of Allah
(saws) forbade the believing man to wear silk; thus the believer, who
sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day,
must abstain from wearing a silk tie or any other silk garment at all
times.
Your question. What
is the right way to go into the sujud when praying? I have been told that the
palms of the hand must touch the floor first before the knees. This is also how
one determines which animals are halal to eat as only those animals who
when sitting bend their front legs first and then fold their hind legs.
This is the correct way to perform the sujud when praying. When arising from
the sujud, one must lift the knees first and then the palms. Please clarify
this.
Ibn al-Qayyim said,
"When the Prophet (saws) prayed, he would place his knees (on the floor)
before his hands, then his hands, his forehead and nose.
Related Shuraik
from 'Asim ibn Kaleeb on the authority of his father from Wa'il ibn Hajr who
said, 'I saw the Messenger of Allah
(saws) while prostrating, placing his knees (on the floor) before his hands. Upon getting up, he would raise his hands before
his knees. I never saw him do otherwise."
In
light of the above authentic narrations,
the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) was that while going into
sajdah in prayer, he would place his
knees on the floors before his hands;
and while getting up from sajdah he would lift his hands first and then
his knees.
The scholars of all schools of
thought are unanimous in their opinion that there is no harm if one is of old
age or has a weight issue, he may place
his hands first and then his knees while going into prostration and/or lift his
knees first and then his hands while getting up. They are also of the opinion that it is obviously better to
follow the Sunnah of the Messenger (saws) while going and getting up from the
sajdah in prayer; but if one, for any reason, puts his hands first and then his knees while going to
sajdah, and/or lifts his knees first
and then his hands after sajdah, his
prayer will be perfectly valid as placing hands before knees or knees before
hands, does not constitute an
obligatory part of the prayer.
Your question. What
is the significance of raising ones finger when saying the Kalemat tu Shada and
is this also to be done when praying?
Ibn 'Umar reported
that when the Prophet sat for the tashahud, he would place his left hand on his
left knee and his right hand upon his right knee, and he would form a ring like
formation, and point with his index finger.
In another narration it is reported, "He would close his hand and
point with his index finger." (Related by Muslim.)
To raise the index finger in
Tashahud is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws). The scholars are of the opinion that the
raising of the index finger in Tashahud in prayer and otherwise when one
declares the ‘Shahaadah’, is to signify
the Oneness of Allah Subhanah.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He
is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in
Islam,
